Wrath of a Mad God

gga

Pure crack for fantasy geeks and about as high quality. I’ve been
reading Feist since a friend recommended Magician to me when I was
nine years old; in grade four, back in 1988. My friend’s name was Paul
Reid and that was 20 years ago now. It’s also long since I realised
that I’m pretty much only reading Feist because reading Feist is what
I do.

As his books get steadily worse that becomes a weaker and weaker
reason. He does have some redeeming features: he doesn’t forget where
he put the plot; his sagas actually finish; he manages to avoid
appearing a total right-wing fascist. After the disappointment of
Martin and the betrayal of Jordan those are very good things to a
recovering fantasy geek. He is still one of the reasons that I haven’t
completely given up on fantasy. And of course, Gaiman.

Why am I now so disappointed? His first three books (Magician,
Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon) were really great fantasy
epics. Magician even managed that rarest of fantasy firsts: a
self-contained, single, enjoyable novel. What was so enjoyable? A
rich, consistent, well-thought through world, with a deep and
fascinating history. The sort of thing that makes Tolkein so
popular. Those books sold well, Feist proceeded to mine that world and
his characters in countless sequels. And like the fools we are, us
fantasy fans lapped those sequels up.

You may think you want the blank spots in the story filled in, you may
think that those tantalising glimpses are only a fraction of the glory
that is fully formed, but hidden, in the author’s mind. But. You are
wrong. The back story you build, the worlds you imagine around the
glimpses? Those are the real joy in fantasy. Do not burn those worlds
to the ground by demanding ad reading endless prequels and
sequels. Let the great stories stand alone.

Feist is a great example of this. It turns out that he didn’t really
have anything to surround those brief histories and as he writes more
and more he’s starting to change things. Sometimes for the better, but
many times the things I’ve loved have died.

I see two things here: the world is not meant to change, even if it
does make things easier for someone; and, you don’t want to know your
heroes too well. Even if they are only characters in a book.